


Battles in My Heart

by theskipper



Category: K.A.R.D (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Background Minjoon, F/M, M/M, Platonic Soulmates, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-03 19:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14002749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theskipper/pseuds/theskipper
Summary: At any given time there were a dozen or so casters in and around Seoul, but Yoongi only knew of one bastard crazy enough to take on casting to break a blood bond.Kim Seokjin.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very late response to the [supernatural prompt](https://btsrarepairmonthly.tumblr.com/post/170402649148/february-prompt-post-tropes-scenarios) from the BTS Rare Pair Monthly Challenge for February.
> 
> Unbetaed. Just having fun here, folks.

Yoongi dragged his finger through the condensation ring on the tabletop, absently tracing a pattern he knew by heart. The bar’s interior was just this side of pitch dark, even at midday. Yoongi was the only one in this corner, tucked into the booth with his hood up and his shoulders hunched as he alternated between the ring left behind by his drink and tapping out staccato beats with his fingertips on the tabletop.

His dark-rimmed eyes, heavy with the previous night’s activities, darted around the bar periodically but other than the server occasionally swinging by, he was left alone. His legs kicked up over the bench seat in front of him and the fierce glare in his eyes when the few patrons did make eye contact with him kept most people from giving him a second glance.

Except for one guy.

The kid had been in the bar for close to an hour now, by Yoongi’s calculation. A tall, gangly thing with slightly elfin shaped ears and eyes too bright for this shithole. He was sitting at the bar, his voice a deep melodic bass that hummed and wound itself throughout the empty chairs and dark corners until it reached Yoongi’s ears. Every now and then he would look over Yoongi’s way with those bright eyes, glowing inhumanly in the dark interior, as he licked and bit at his lips. He wasn’t sure if the kid was looking for a fight or a fuck, but in his current mood, Yoongi felt like maybe both would be in order.

The kid glanced over his shoulder, coyly shooting Yoongi another look. Yoongi snorted and tossed back the last of his drink before raising his hand for another. The bartender nodded, but before the server could grab it from the bar top, the kid took the glass in hand and sauntered over. Yoongi watched him approach through guarded eyes. The kid was long limbed and moved with an easy grace slipping through space and time like a wisp of smoke. He paused in front of Yoongi and set his drink on the table.

“May I join you?”

“Can I stop you?”

The kid gave him a boxy grin and nonchalant shrug. “No, but I like to be polite.”

Yoongi gestured towards the seat across from him with his glass. “Fucking polite, my ass,” he mumbled. “Just say what you’ve been dying to say for the last hour and leave me the hell alone.”

The kid slid into the seat and rested his gently clasped hands on the table. Yoongi noticed his hands were impeccable, nails perfectly manicured, one heavy blue ring adorning his finger. Yoongi clenched his own fists, unconsciously trying to hide his own hands with their chipped polish and bitten fingers from view. He stopped himself midway through dragging his hand down to his lap and forced himself to unclench his fists, daring the kid to make a comment on the state of his ink-stained workman’s hands.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“Yeah? Well I don’t know what you’ve heard, kid, but I don’t sell myself cheap.”

The kid chuckled. “No, I know your reputation. They speak of your skills in whispers through the streets and alleys of Seoul. Min Yoongi. The spellcrafter who can calm a dragon and tame a baby. Who can heal a broken heart and raise the dead. All with the skill of his tongue, the magic of his voice, the passion bled from his fingers.”

Yoongi scoffed. “Don’t believe everything you hear, kid. Rumors are just that. Rumors.”

“I’m not paying for rumors. I’m paying for skill.” He twisted the heavy blue ring. Yoongi’s eyes traced the action. Up close he could see the setting of the stone. It wasn’t just an ordinary ring. The kid’s attitude and speech fairly dripped with breeding and money. “I need a spell, crafted specifically for me.”

“There’s other spellcrafters in Seoul. Kim Namjoon-”

“I need the best. I need you.”

Yoongi took a second look at the kid in front of him. Up close he could see the faint outline of dark circles under the other man’s eyes. The faint downturn to the corner of his mouth. The nervous clenching and release of his fingers in front of him. Yoongi narrowed his eyes. “Why do you need me?”

“I need you to craft a spell for my beloved-”

“I don’t do love spells, kid. Go peddle that sorry shit elsewhere.”

“It’s not a love spell. We already love each other.”

“I don’t like to deal with affairs of the heart.”

“My beloved is bound to another through a bond signed by her parents when she was a baby. She has no interest in the agreement, nor does her bond mate. I’m looking for someone to sever the bond.”

“Bond severing can be done by any two-bit hack who can string a sentence together. Why the fuck are you looking for me?”

“It’s a…sensitive matter. The bond isn’t just a contract, it’s a blood bond-”

“Fuck no! I don’t mess with blood bonds. And even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to find a fucking caster crazy enough to do it for you.”

The kid reached across the table and pinned Yoongi’s hand down with his own. His eyes were wide, glowing feverishly. “I’ve found a caster. I just need the best spellcrafter there is. I need you.”

At any given time there were a dozen or so casters in and around Seoul, but Yoongi only knew of one bastard crazy enough to take on casting to break a blood bond. Yoongi felt the anger washing over him in white-hot waves.

“He-he said he’d do it if I could convince you to craft the spell,” the kid’s voice wavered in the face of Yoongi’s anger.

“Who?” he enunciated as clear as possible through his gritted teeth.

“K-kim Seokjin.”

Of course it would be Seokjin. No one else would be cocky enough to even consider it. “That motherfucker,” Yoongi growled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seokjin and Yoongi in da club :)

Yoongi stepped off the bus and onto the sidewalk in front of Seokjin’s club. Namjoon tried to explain to him that the name was a pun on fishing and spellcasting but Yoongi actively ignored him when he talked about anything to do with Seokjin. Unfortunately, that had been getting harder to do since Namjoon had spent most of the last year banging Seokjin’s apprentice, Jimin.

Yoongi opened the door and stepped into the establishment. The entry was all lowlights and rich dark wood. There were several thick and lush plants on various pedestals scattered about. Yoongi knew they weren’t just for ornamentation, although that was a pleasant side purpose. The plants were incredibly sensitive to shifts in the air and would sense if anyone entered with any spellcasting tools. As a class III master, Seokjin didn’t permit any other caster on his property without his explicit approval. 

He glanced to the side at the young woman standing behind the hostess podium busy tapping on her phone. “Do you need to announce me to his highness?”

She snapped her gum and smirked without looking up. “He knew you were here as soon as you stepped foot off the bus.” 

Yoongi glared at her, but she kept her gaze down and her fingers moving across the screen.

“Whatever,” he muttered and shoved aside the ostentatious purple velvet curtains that separated the entry from the main room of the club. He could hear the sound of snapping gum following him as he entered.

The inside of the club was just as ugly as the entry way. There was a gleaming mahogany bar along one wall. Several couches and chairs covered in either dark leather or rich velvet were placed around in private and semi-private alcoves. The middle of the room had low tables and vibrant jewel toned cushions scattered about. There was an undeniable scent of magic in the air that was so thick Yoongi swore he could capture it in his hand if he were to reach out. It made Yoongi’s skin itch and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Underneath everything, he could also identify the undeniable thread of one caster. It was tangy, almost indescribable, and wholly unique. He associated that smell with only one caster. Seokjin.

Yoongi glanced behind the bar at the bartender who was stacking glasses. She nodded her head towards the back corner. Yoongi turned and followed her gesture until his eyes came to rest on a lone figure lounging on a sofa, both elbows casually resting on the low back behind him.

Seokjin wore a wide-neck white shirt that was cut low revealing almost more of his chest than it covered and a pair of tight black jeans. One long leg crossed easily over the other, his bare foot bouncing minutely. The smile on his face had Yoongi gritting his teeth.

“Yoongi-ssi,” Seokjin said as Yoongi stepped up onto the raised dais that the couch was on.

“Seokjin-ssi,” Yoongi replied curtly.

“Please sit,” the man waved a hand at one of the plentiful cushions scattered on the dais at his feet. 

Yoongi glanced down before stomping over and plopping on the sofa with Seokjin. He sat as far away as possible, but even with a foot between them, the air surrounding Seokjin was humming and churning. Yoongi swore he could physically see the aura around Seokjin shifting and flaring but he blinked again and it was gone.

“What brings you to my humble establishment?”

Yoongi cast an eye around, taking in the rich accents and subtle decorating touches that did not scream ‘humble’. He shifted his attention back to Seokjin and tried to ignore the other man’s preternaturally beautiful face. Yoongi once got drunk and opined to Namjoon and Jimin that there’s no way he hadn't magically altered it because it was too beautiful the way it was. Intelligent eyes, plush lips, beautiful cheekbones. Yoongi had never seen the man without makeup, but he bet that even bare-faced, Seokjin was unnaturally beautiful. “You know exactly why I’m here.”

Seokjin hummed and lifted an eyebrow. “I do? I can’t seem to recall off the top of my head. Refresh me?” He waved a hand around, silver rings flashing and catching on the lights.

Yoongi snorted. He shifted and tried not to feel awkward next to Seokjin, but it was difficult. Seokjin was so bright and shiny and Yoongi was…not. He was small and angular and rough and worn. He didn’t fit into this place, into Seokjin’s world, any more than Seokjin fit into his shithole of an apartment with its sagging futon and heat that never worked right. “You sent that kid to me.”

“Kid?”

“Beautiful, tall, elfin ears.”

“You thought he was beautiful?” Seokjin’s mouth turned down minutely.

“Obviously.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

“Are you blind?” Yoongi asked.

Seokjin sniffed. “No. I just have a different standard of beauty.”

“Are you kidding me? That kid was like a walking advertisement for this place. He would have fit in here perfectly with the rest of your ornaments.”

“My clientele are not possessions. I don’t believe in that.” Seokjin’s eyes flashed, and his words were low and deliberate.

Yoongi shivered as unease crawled up his spine. “I didn’t mean-”

“So did you agree to help Taehyung?”

“Who?”

“Taehyung.” At Yoongi's blank look, Seokjin rolled his eyes.

“You mean the kid? His name is Taehyung?”

Seokjin sighed. “Yes, Yoongi-ssi, his name is Kim Taehyung. And he came to see you about breaking his love’s blood bond.”

Yoongi narrowed his eyes. “About that-”

Seokjin sat forward, moving closer to Yoongi and cutting him off as he literally stole the breath from Yoongi’s chest with his proximity. “Taehyung is Jimin’s best friend. The other half to his soul, actually. They’ve been together since Taehyung was born, two halves of one soul.”

“What does this have to do with breaking the blood bond?”

“Taehyung is in love with someone who was bonded to another as a baby. Both wish to sever the bond to pursue their own lives, but, as you well know, the risks of severing a blood bond are high. His love remaining bonded to another is slowly eating at Taehyung, infecting his heart, and poisoning his soul.”

“And Jimin is his soulmate,” Yoongi finished for him. “Which means he’s getting sick too.”

Seokjin nodded. “I would do anything for Jimin. And I rather thought you felt the same about Namjoon,” he said as he leaned back into his previous position and picked a piece of lint off his pants before brushing his palm over the knee.

Yoongi’s heart sank. Namjoon was his weak spot and Seokjin knew it. There were two people Yoongi would move heaven and earth for or die trying, and Namjoon was one of them. 

Yoongi breathed out slowly and glared down at his hands. The skin around his thumb was raw and bleeding from him worrying at it with his teeth the entire bus ride over here. “You really think we can do this?” he asked raising his head.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Seokjin said plainly.

“Fuck.”

“Will you do it?”

Yoongi untangled his hands and slipped his left one into the pocket of his leather jacket. He withdrew it slowly and held it out to Seokjin. Unclenching his fingers revealed a heavy blue stone ring sitting in the palm of his hand. “I already said yes.”

Seokjin smiled and slowly moved his hand to hover above Yoongi’s. The proximity of Seokjin’s skin to his was making small charges of static pop and flash between them. It had always been this way between them. The first time Yoongi ever met Seokjin, the other man approached him with a smile on his lips and interest in his eyes that only grew more intense anytime they were in proximity to one another. The magic in Seokjin called to him and his own blood sang in response, often manifesting physically into literal sparks of magic when they were close. 

Yoongi could taste the tang of Seokjin’s magic in the back of his throat. It surrounded him and overwhelmed his senses. His skin was buzzing with the nearness of Seokjin, his nose was filled with the scent of him, and Yoongi was slowly losing himself, drowning in the inky darkness of Seokjin’s eyes. He focused on the coolness of the ring in his palm and the brightness of the blue stone, using it to tether him to the here and now, and to keep him in his own body instead of being consumed by Seokjin.

“Stop it.”

Yoongi felt as if all the air was sucked out of the room at his words. Everything that was Seokjin was pulled back immediately, folded up tightly and packed away until Yoongi was left alone in his senses, a little bereft and unsteady.

“I’m sorry,” Seokjin said with a bowed head.

“Whatever.” Yoongi tried to keep his teeth from chattering. He was suddenly freezing. A side effect of the magic withdrawal. “Give me a few days,” he said. Yoongi closed his fist around the ring and placed it back in his pocket. “I’ll come up with something.” He stood up on shaky legs, doing his best to keep his knees from knocking together. Goddamn casters, and especially Seokjin. The worst of them all. “What’s the idiot’s name?”

Seokjin tilted his head in confusion. “Taehyung?”

Yoongi huffed impatiently. “No. Not him, the other idiot.”

Seokjin pursed his lips for a second. “Oh, you mean his lover. It’s Jeon. Jeon Jiwoo. She’s Jungkook’s cousin.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi is stubborn

“I hear you’re working with Seokjin,” Hoseok said without preamble as he entered Yoongi’s apartment. The scent of warm food followed him, and Yoongi’s stomach growled a little. He’d been working non-stop for the last few days, composing and discarding spells. He had a decent framework, but he still had a ways to go.

“Your balls tell you that?”

Hoseok grunted and ignored the familiar slur against his divination practice. “No, Namjoon did when I talked to him earlier. He said you haven’t been at the bar for a few days.” He carried the containers of food from Yoongi’s kitchen counter to the small table in front of his futon. 

Yoongi peered into each one as Hoseok set them down before he finally found the skewers of tender lamb meat. He took a big bite and reached for a pair of chopsticks. “I’ve been busy. Besides Namjoon is more than capable of handling shit for a few days on his own.”

“When I went by he was ‘handling’ Jimin pretty well, so I’d say you’re right.”

“Don’t be nasty while I’m trying to eat.”

“Is it true you’re crafting a spell to break a blood bond?” Hoseok leaned forward on the cushion and reached for some kimchi.

“Yeah,” Yoongi mumbled and quickly took another big bite of lamb.

Hoseok’s eyes widened. “Hyung,” he whispered. “That means…”

“Shut up. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“But-”

“I told you, it means nothing.”

Hoseok’s jaw snapped shut and he nodded slowly. They’d been friends so long that Hoseok knew when he could get away with pushing and when he couldn’t. That didn’t stop him from keeping his wide eyes pinned to Yoongi the rest of the meal.

After eating, they watched a movie for a little bit, but Hoseok couldn’t keep his attention on the movie and instead kept staring at Yoongi for increasingly long periods of time with his lips pursed into an unhappy pout. Yoongi was already tense but the constant staring was winding him up even more. Every time Yoongi glared at Hoseok, he lowered his eyes and silently turned back to the movie until the next time Yoongi caught him staring.

“What?” Yoongi said with a sigh, finally giving up and pausing the movie. “Just say it, Hoseok-ah. It’s obvious you have something on your mind.”

“You know what,” Hoseok replied.

And Yoongi did. This was why he hadn’t said anything about taking on the job to Hoseok, and he really wished Namjoon had kept his mouth shut too. 

“How could you take this job? You know how risky any blood bond breaking is, but to actively take one on with Seokjin as your caster? Yoongi…what if this is the one I saw? The job that-”

Yoongi got up and paced. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Bullshit-”

“Seokjin already agreed before I was even approached.”

“So? You still could have turned it down.”

Yoongi shook his head. “No. Because if I did and he ended up working with some subpar crafter, who's to say it wouldn’t still happen?”

“Then some subpar crafter gets killed instead, hyung! I don’t see the issue.”

“Not the crafter. What if…what if I’m not there so instead it’s Seokjin who dies?” Yoongi slowly raised his eyes to meet Hoseok’s. “I couldn’t let that happen, Hoseok-ah. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew the risks involved and didn’t intervene.”

“So you’re just going to sacrifice yourself? Why won’t you just tell Seokjin and BOTH of you stop this foolishness!”

Yoongi slumped on the couch next to Hoseok. “You know it doesn’t work that way. Hell you’re the one who divined it in the first place. Besides, Seokjin is bound and determined to do this. No one would be able to change his mind.”

“I think if you told him like I’ve begged you to for years instead of this silly game you’ve been playing of avoiding him-”

“I thought if we stayed apart and weren’t…you know…close like in your vision that maybe I could keep this from happening.” Yoongi barked out a humorless laugh. “Goes to show that no matter what, you can’t avoid fate, huh? I’m destined to die while breaking a blood bond with Seokjin. Fuck.”

“Hyung,” Hoseok said softly. “I think if you told Seokjin, he’d listen and he wouldn’t go through with it. No matter how much of an asshole you’ve been, for some reason, he does care for you.”

“I’m not going to ask him to step back.”

“But-”

“No. You don’t understand. The blood bond we’re breaking? It’s for Jimin’s soulmate. He’s in love with some girl who was accidentally bonded to the wrong person as a baby. The pining and love sickness is invading his soul and it’s spreading.”

“To Jimin,” Hoseok breathed as his eyes widened.

One corner of Yoongi’s mouth twisted up in a mockery of a smile. “So you see why I can’t ask Seokjin to step back. If I do, Jimin is slowly poisoned by his soulmate. I can’t ask Seokjin to choose between me and Jimin.”

“So you make the choice for him? I don’t think that’s fair to him.”

“I don’t care if it’s fair to him!” Yoongi shouted. “It’s the only choice that’s acceptable to me.”

“There has to be another way-”

“There isn’t. End of story.”

Hoseok sat back and crossed his arms over his chest looking contemplative.

“And don’t go saying anything to Namjoon about this either. I’ve never told him about your vision because I never wanted to worry him. This stays between us, Hoseok-ah. You’re bound to that promise, remember.”

“Hyung-”

“Promise me you won’t risk it.”

“Fine,” Hoseok said begrudgingly. “I promise.”

Yoongi nodded his head and reached out to unpause the movie they were watching, but the uncomfortable tension between them made both of them jumpy and unable to relax.

After the movie finally ended, Yoongi walked Hoseok to the door of his little place. Hoseok pulled on his shoes and then straightened up and wrapped his arms around Yoongi. Yoongi let himself be held and brought his own arms up to return the embrace, with a little less strength than Hoseok’s, but with no less feeling behind it.

“Be careful,” Hoseok whispered in his ear.

Yoongi nodded his head, unable to find the words to reply before stepping back. With one last sad look, Hoseok stepped through the door and Yoongi shut it tightly behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yoongi is not as smooth as he’d like to think

Yoongi set his phone down on the table with a deep sigh. Namjoon was across from him, head bent low over Yoongi’s leather bound notebook while he carefully read through the spell Yoongi had crafted. 

Yoongi didn’t like to share his work with many people, but Namjoon was the exception. The only other crafter that Yoongi trusted to take a look and give him honest feedback on the composition of lyric and verse. It was an honor that Namjoon took seriously, always treating Yoongi’s work with a reverence and seriousness that boosted his ego. Most people didn’t understand the effort it took to craft a spell, they assumed a little “bippity boppity boo” with a couple rhymes and you were good to go. But it took the right flow, the right combination of words and wordplay to engage the magic of the spellcaster. The ability to harness the intent and the feeling behind the magic, the depth and range of it, wasn’t something that could be churned out thoughtlessly on a whim. Sure, anyone could throw together some shit, but Yoongi wasn’t anyone. He prided himself on being elite. He was still independent, him and Namjoon both, going into business together, running it out of the corner booth of this shitty bar. But it was theirs, and they didn’t answer to any corporate entities with crafting divisions and cubes and meetings and bullshit like that.

“It looks good, hyung,” Namjoon looked up. His thick framed glasses slipped down his nose and he pressed them back up. “I especially like this section here,” he said and slid his finger easily over a section in the middle that Yoongi had agonized over. “It has a strong flow to it, and timing wise will be when the magic is amping up, right?”

Yoongi nodded.

“Okay, so I was wondering if the part afterwards is too soft. I think you need to hit it hard again. This is a blood bond breaking and not just a normal business transaction or something.”

Yoongi tilted his neck to the side to look at the section Joon was pointing out. “Yeah,” he said, nodding his agreement. “You’re right, I need a little more punch there before beginning the wind down.”

“Other than that, hyung, I think it’s some of your best work.” Namjoon sat back with an proud look on his face and took a sip of his beer.

Yoongi felt relieved. He knew it was good, but good wasn’t enough for this spell. It had to be flawless. “What about the beginning? Did you see anything that-”

“It’s perfect as it is. Leave the words alone and work on your delivery now. When is this thing scheduled?”

“Four nights from now.”

“Where are you doing it?”

Yoongi shrugged. “Probably some warehouse somewhere. I told the kid to find us a nice deserted place we could use and text the address when he got it arranged.”

“I still can’t believe you’re working a spell with Seokjin. I mean you’ve had a pretty strong anti-Seokjin policy the last few years.”

And it was true. Yoongi had done his best to stay away from Seokjin ever since Hoseok’s doom and gloom vision years ago. He figured if he never put himself in the position of working with or falling in love with Seokjin then Hoseok’s premonition couldn’t come true. Unfortunately, there were only so many spellcasters with the level of skill as Seokjin which meant that the big jobs usually had him attached. It would have been bad business to turn them all down completely, but Yoongi was selective about how often he worked with the other man, which meant turning down some lucrative jobs for little neighborhood ones. Sure, they weren’t going to make it rich running their business the way they did, and sometimes the people that hired them didn’t necessarily have the financial resources to pay them. Which is how they ended up running their business out of the back corner of this old shithole of a bar rent free. It’s also why the ajumma around the corner always gave them free ramyeon and they could go to a specific food cart at the market and get all the eomuk they could eat. It may not have been the life he dreamed about back home in Daegu before he set out for Seoul, but it was the life he’d made, and he was happy with it.

“Hyung,” Namjoon said. “Thank you for this. I know working with Seokjin, especially on something like this, is the last thing you want to do. So it really means a lot to me, and to Jimin, that you’re doing this.”

Yoongi felt his face heat up and tried to ward it off by taking a big sip of his beer. “It pays well,” he said. “Which, speaking of,” Yoongi slipped his hand into his jeans pocket and grabbed the ring. He laid it on the table in front of Namjoon. “I need you to hold onto this. Once the spell is complete, you can cash it in for payment.”

Namjoon looked down at the ring but made no move to pick it up. “Won’t you be cashing it in?” Namjoon’s eyebrows arched questioningly. Normally they each handled the money for their own work and then cut the other in after the deal closed. It was how their partnership had worked for years.

“I’m likely to be wiped out. Who knows how long.” Yoongi tried for nonchalance but could see suspicion lurking in the corners of Namjoon’s face. “So I was hoping you could do me a favor and take care of it? You know these rich fucks, they’ll try weasel out of anything once they have what they want.”

“Taehyung isn’t like that, hyung,” Namjoon said solemnly.

“Just take it, Namjoon-ah. Hold it for me, and if the spell doesn’t make me nap for a week, I’ll take it back and take care of it.”

Namjoon reached out and scooped up the ring. Yoongi watched him as he tucked it into his own pocket and felt a little of his anxiety lessen. At least Namjoon would be taken care of for quite a while after everything. It helped set Yoongi’s mind at ease.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night before.

The night before the bond breaking found Yoongi pacing around his small apartment unable to remain still. Every time he sat down, he jumped up again within minutes and resumed his path around the futon, to the window, across to the kitchenette area, over to the bathroom and back around the futon. The skin around his thumb was completely raw and worn down. He’d turned down Hoseok’s offer to stay with him, knowing that the other man’s nervousness would have amped him up worse than being here on his own.

Yoongi checked the time on his phone. It was just past one in the morning. He hesitated for half a second before he grabbed his jacket, patted his pocket to make sure he had his wallet, and left his apartment.

The first step into Seokjin’s club was overpowering as always, but this time instead of resisting, Yoongi breathed in and let his senses open. The scent of Seokjin’s magic was no longer pungent and suffocating, but instead it was comforting, a smell of belonging and of home. The tingle along his skin didn’t burn the same way. It pulsed across his hands and up his arms making him feel energized and alive. He stepped through the velvet curtains and paused, his eyes zeroing in on Seokjin who was lounging on the couch atop the dais. Instead of paying attention to the people fawning over him, Seokjin’s eyes were locked on Yoongi. Even across the room, through the dim lights and crowd, Yoongi could see the rise and fall of Seokjin’s chest. Every breath Seokjin took felt like it was powering both their bodies.

Yoongi moved forward, the crowd easily parting for him, but he paid them no mind. His attention never wavered from Seokjin. Up and across the dais until he was placing first one knee and then the other on the couch, bracketing Seokjin’s hips and straddling him. Seokjin looked up at Yoongi, his eyes alight with desire. 

Yoongi placed his hands on either side of Seokjin’s face and lowered his head until his lips brushed against Seokjin’s. The first press was light, but within seconds he was pressing his lips harder against Seokjin’s. Seokjin’s hands gripped Yoongi’s waist tightly and pulled him in closer, fingers curling roughly into his hips. Their kiss deepened, mouths moving hungrily together, lips parted and tongues darting out to tangle together before withdrawing.

Yoongi’s body felt alight with everything Seokjin. Each part of him that Seokjin touched, from his back to his waist to his lips, tingled with little shocks of electricity that kept radiating and crackling with energy. He was overwhelmed. The taste on his tongue was Seokjin. The feel of skin and hair under his hands was Seokjin. Yoongi felt the last remaining hold on his barriers stretching thin. He wanted to let Seokjin in, let him consume Yoongi and remake him from the inside out. He wanted to feel Seokjin deep inside him, physically, mentally, emotionally. He wanted Seokjin with every repressed desire and feeling he’d buried and ignored for the last few years.

“Fuck,” Yoongi rasped into Seokjin’s ear. “I want you so bad.” He bit hard on Seokjin’s earlobe and tugged none too gently on the earring there. 

Seokjin tilted his head and Yoongi took him up on the invitation, licking a stripe down the column of his neck before planting a kiss at the delicate hollow of Seokjin’s neck. 

“Is this for tonight only? Or do I get you tomorrow too?”

Yoongi’s heart stuttered, and it had nothing to do with Seokjin and the way his hands were cupping Yoongi’s ass as he thrust his hips up in a slow drag that set Yoongi on fire. “You can have me for the rest of my life,” Yoongi said seriously.

Seokjin groaned. “You say things like that, and I just might take you seriously.”

“I am serious.”

For all the attention Yoongi paid, Seokjin could have teleported them to his bedroom. All Yoongi knew was that he was straddling Seokjin’s lap in the club one minute and the next he was naked in his bed stretched out on cotton sheets that felt like the softest tease against his sensitive skin. Yoongi was sprawled on his belly with Seokjin hovering over him thrusting so hard that he was physically pushing Yoongi up the bed. Sweat beaded in Yoongi’s hairline from the combined heat of their bodies. The rough push of Seokjin in him burned in the most pleasurable way possible and Yoongi spit out curses and insults to get Seokjin to give it to him harder and push his body past the limits of endurance. 

Seokjin chuckled lowly in Yoongi’s ear. “You want more, baby?” He twisted his hips viciously causing Yoongi to gasp and arch his back. 

“Fuck, Seokjin. More. I need more.”

Seokjin sat back and took Yoongi with him, using his thighs to spread Yoongi’s own thighs wide. Yoongi’s back was pressed against Seokjin’s chest and his head rested on Seokjin’s shoulder. The new position pushed Seokjin even deeper into him and caused them both to grown loudly as they adjusted to the new position. 

“You good?” Seokjin asked. He sucked on the side of Yoongi’s neck.

“Fucking move before I find someone else who can do it better.”

Yoongi experienced a dark wave of satisfaction at the growl he felt reverberate through Seokjin’s chest mere moments before the other man used his strength to begin fucking up into Yoongi in earnest. 

Through Yoongi’s half-lidded eyes he watched their reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. 

“Are you watching yourself get fucked?”

“Is that what you call this? I’ve ridden on merry go rounds that give me more bang.”

“You’re a damn brat.” Seokjin punctuated his statement with a sinful punch of his hips that had Yoongi seeing stars. Yoongi wrapped one arm up and back to pull Seokjin’s mouth down to him. He pulled a long whine out of Seokjin by biting on his plump lower lip. He stopped just short of drawing blood but reveled in the way the bruised skin darkened and swelled. “I should have known you’d be a biter,” Seokjin said.

When Yoongi came it was with Seokjin’s name on his lips and his fingers clenched in Seokjin’s hair as he thrust deep into his mouth, almost choking the other man. He back bowed and he curled in on himself, hissing out curses at the way Seokjin continued to suck on his overstimulated cock before releasing him. Seokjin sat back with a satisfied smirk on his face before wiping the spit and come off his chin. 

Afterwards, they lay together in bed. Seokjin was asleep, sprawled on his back with one arm above his head and the other resting on his belly. Yoongi lay on his side, unable to sleep, simply watching Seokjin’s chest rise and fall with each deep breath. His eyes greedily traced every detail of Seokjin’s face and upper body as he desperately tried to memorize each feature. 

Yoongi allowed himself to stay for the sunrise. He watched as the light crawled across the floor to the bed, illuminating Seokjin in an array of soft pinks and golds. He was so beautiful it made a place deep in Yoongi’s chest ache. Seokjin didn’t stir, not even when Yoongi reached out and drew his fingertip softly across his brow, pushing his hair back from his eyes. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Yoongi carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on his clothes. 

Today was the day, and he had things to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to do this

Yoongi stepped out of the elevator and into the deserted office, looking around curiously. What would normally be a receptionist desk was instead covered in dusty plastic sheeting. The place was largely empty, filled with the shadows of whatever business had flopped there last, ghostly impressions of desk chairs and desks under dusty plastic and eerily silent phones. The phantom smell of coffee tickled his nose. There weren’t any lights on, just fading sunlight filtering through the windows, but he could hear some indistinguishable noise down a hallway to the right. 

Yoongi crept past closed office doors, silently making his way down the hall to the one opened door with noise and light spilling out. He paused in the opened doorway. The shades were drawn but halogen construction lamps were plugged into a small generator running in the corner. It cast the room in a mix of bright light and eerie shadow. The room must have been a conference room at some point judging by the long shape and size of it. Instead of a table in the middle there was a large empty space. Chairs were pushed to the far edge of the room and piled up against an abandoned video screen board.

"What the hell is this place?" Yoongi asked.

Taehyung spun around. "An old office I rented for the day. You said it had to be something fairly big but empty. This building has a few tenants on the first floor and one lone cleaning service with offices on the fifth floor but the rest of it is unoccupied."

"When I said something empty I meant like a warehouse or something. Who the hell rents an office space for spellcasting?"

Taehyung ran his hand through his hair a little sheepishly. "Yoongi-ssi, this is my love, my heart, my everything." He gestured to the pretty girl standing next to him.

"Most people call me Jeon Jiwoo," she said.

"Most people don't know that you're the radiant creature you are." Jiwoo met Yoongi's eyes around Taehyung’s shoulder and rolled her own. "Too much?" Taehyung asked.

"Way over the top," Jiwoo said but smiled and pecked Taehyung on the cheek causing his already radiant smile to amplify. "He’s been like this for about 24 hours straight," she said.

"I can't help it, we're finally going to get your bond broken! This is exciting. It's momentous. It's-"

"Shut it," Yoongi grumbled. "Who are they?" He nodded his head towards the three other occupants currently clustered together in the shadows beyond the beam of light.

"Jiwoo's bondmate and their friends, Somin and B.M. They’re going to be his anchors," Taehyung said.

Yoongi nodded his head dismissively and kept scanning the room until he found who he was looking for. There, just beside the light so that Yoongi couldn't look directly at him and see his face, as if he wouldn't recognize that silhouette anywhere, was Seokjin. Yoongi's body burned at the memories of this morning. He could feel the energy surrounding Seokjin even now, crackling and snapping with his impatience to get this over with and his anger at Yoongi for leaving without a word.

Yoongi stared a minute longer at the silhouette, hoping Seokjin could read at least a little of his remorse on his face even if he couldn't put it to words. Ironic, considering it was his skill with crafting words into spells that brought them together in the first place.

Yoongi turned back towards Taehyung and Jiwoo. "Who are we missing?"

"Just my cousin," Jiwoo started but was interrupted when Jungkook came running into the room.

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late! I'm here," he huffed out as he bent over and rested his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. "I had to help Jimin with some really intense charades, and it took longer than we thought."

“What-“ Yoongi asked but was cut off by Taehyung asking if Jungkook ran all the way there. 

"Took the stairs," Jungkook said between large puffs of breath.

Yoongi shook his head. He was probably better off not knowing. "That’s everyone right?"

"Yup, two anchors for J.seph-hyung and two anchors for Jiwoo," Taehyung said.

Yoongi felt a soft touch trail across his shoulders as Seokjin stopped lurking in the corner and joined the rest of them. He tried to control the shiver the touch sparked in him and resolutely didn't meet Seokjin's gaze. Now wasn't the time.

"Bondmate, what's your name?" Yoongi called.

"Kim Taehyung."

Yoongi raised his eyebrows and looked back and forth between Taehyung, the first one, Jiwoo, and bondmate Taehyung. “Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Nope," Taehyung said sadly. "That’s how we think this whole mess got started. Jiwoo’s grandmother paid to have her stars read at birth and the fates whispered the name 'Kim Taehyung' to her. So when Taehyung, the other one, moved to her town, their families decided to do a blood bonding ceremony."

"Jesus fuck," Yoongi muttered. Save him from superstitious old grannies and fortune telling nonsense. 

Seokjin began stepping through the process with Jiwoo, Taehyung the bondmate, and the anchors so they knew what to expect. Yoongi took the time to review his spell one last time, speaking it to himself softly to make sure he was hitting all the right beats and cadence. He pushed his nerves down and away, trying to ignore the image of Hoseok’s big, sad eyes looking up at him. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on prophecies or divination or any of that fortune telling crap. Just because some stupid crystal ball said that he and Seokjin were…well it didn’t matter what it said. Blood bonds were tricky things, and Yoongi was either going to make this work or die trying.

“Ready?” Jungkook asked him softly.

Yoongi looked to the side where Seokjin was now by himself, marking a giant circle with sand in the center of the room. He left the corner open as he followed it up with a circle of water and another of ash. Yoongi straightened his shoulders and stepped forward. “Ready for me?”

Seokjin nodded and Yoongi took a deep breath. As soon as he passed through the opening in the circle he felt as if a door closed behind him. Seokjin sealed the circles off with sand, water, and ash. Jiwoo and Taehyung, the bondmate, were sat upon cushions at the center of the circle with their hands linked. Outside the circle, their anchors, a pillar in each of the four corners stood silent and watchful.

Seokjin kneeled in front of Jiwoo and Taehyung and spoke the ritual confirmation that they were undertaking the bond breaking of their own free will and that it was something they both desired. Their hands were wrapped in a bright red ribbon that was twined around their fingers and wrists, a physical representation of their bond. Seokjin stood up and moved over to Yoongi, reaching out his hand. Yoongi’s eyes widened at the slight tremor he was sure only he could see in Seokjin’s fingers. At the first touch of their bare skin, the sparks of electricity began to snap and pop. Seokjin fell silent, his eyes closed as Yoongi opened his mouth and began to speak the spell. He put his mouth, his mind, his entire being behind the words he was speaking and pushed, letting the magic of his words flow from him to Seokjin. He watched briefly as Seokjin’s free hand drew symbols, ancient and powerful through the air before his eyes slid closed as the spell ramped up in intensity. 

Yoongi could feel the bond pushing back on them, fighting against the breaking. The air grew heavy and hot within the circle, and he could feel the pressure pushing in on him from all sides. Sweat dripped down his back as he increased his efforts, gripping Seokjin’s hand tighter, pushing more of himself, of his magic, through the bond and channeling it into Seokjin to be used by the spellcaster. He couldn’t open his eyes, but he could feel the brilliant sparks of Seokjin’s magic lighting up against his closed lids. He concentrated harder, gathering up all his strength and putting all his feeling into the words he’d crafted. His spell spoke of loneliness and desperation and a love that shone through the darkness. A love that wouldn’t be denied, be it by destiny or fate or blood bonds. With each layer of the rhythm that he released, Yoongi put more of himself into the spell until the circuit between him and Seokjin was a continuous loop. He could no longer tell what was him and what as Seokjin. The power flowing between them had enveloped their hands, glowing bright and strong like a million fireflies caught into a single jar.

Yoongi opened his eyes to see Seokjin’s beautiful face lit up brightly. His eyes glowed with the combined strength of the two of them, twin black flames that saw straight into Yoongi’s soul. He gasped as he felt the final surge of magic burst out of his body as the last words died on his lips. Yoongi watched as Seokjin placed one brightly burning hand above the bound hands of Jiwoo and Taehyung. The sweat beaded in his hairline as he channeled the last of Yoongi’s spell, the power it had drawn into them and pushed with all his might against the bond. The red ribbon was quaking and slowly unraveling but it wasn’t enough. There wasn’t enough magic to complete the bond breaking. Yoongi watched Seokjin falter before steeling himself and pushing again. Through their link, he could feel the weakness and trembling in Seokjin’s limbs, the exhaustion and the creeping fear that he wasn’t enough this time. That he’d failed.

Yoongi gripped Seokjin’s hand tighter and pulled the other man forward. His other hand reached around and cupped the back of Seokjin’s head. Yoongi captured Seokjin’s lips with his own, pressing forward and pouring all the love he felt for him into the moment. The final push of his magic, the pent up feelings, everything. Yoongi took everything he was and opened the final wall in his shield and let Seokjin take what he needed. Seokjin devoured his lips, plundering them with abandon as the magic swirled around them. 

Yoongi felt the moment the blood bond was overtaken. He felt it falter, minutely, as Seokjin pressed forward and plundered Yoongi’s mouth with his tongue. The small whines Yoongi was making in the back of his throat were drowned out by a loud roar as the bond itself was rendered in half. 

Yoongi’s knees grow weak, his legs like jelly. There was a distant whoop that sounded vaguely like Taehyung as the magic died down and the bond lay in tatters on the floor. Yoongi faltered and Seokjin cradled him in his arms, his smile large as he plastered small kisses across Yoongi’s cheeks. Yoongi smiled back and saw the minute Seokjin’s grinned dimmed slightly.

“Yoongi?” He shook his shoulders. “Yoongi!”

Seokjin’s shouts of alarm sounded far away to his ears. Yoongi reached up with a hand and traced a finger over Seokjin’s lips. He didn’t want it to end like this, but it looked like even he wasn’t immune from the will of the universe. The last thing Yoongi saw as his eyes fluttered closed was Seokjin’s panicked gaze and for a brief moment, Namjoon.

There were two people Yoongi would move heaven or earth for. And it was fitting that both of them were there with him in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER ALERT: don’t worry, no one dies and there’s a happy and most likely smushy ending


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing but soft, smushy feelings herein. Thanks to everyone who has read, left kudos, or commented. This was fun to write, and I’m happy to share it with you all <333

The first thing Yoongi saw when he opened his eyes was the crown of Namjoon’s head pillowed on his arm. He was folded forward awkwardly with his upper body resting on the bed beside Yoongi. He reached out and gently touched the dyed strands of Namjoon’s hair, carding his fingers through the thickness.

“We need to touch up your roots, Namjoon-ah,” he rasped, but the other man kept sleeping. Yoongi winced at the pain from speaking. It felt like his vocal chords had been shredded by razor wire.

Yoongi was exhausted. More than his usual tiredness, this was an exhaustion that resonated from his very soul outwards. He felt leaden and heavy. His fingers felt as if they were thousand pound weights as they moved against Namjoon. On top of the weariness, literally everything ached. Breathing in and out made his chest twinge. Even just blinking his eyes was painful. He felt as if he’d been ripped apart and sewn back together a little too tightly. 

Without moving his head or body, Yoongi cast his eyes around the room. There was a window on the wall behind Namjoon. It looked like it must be nighttime or early morning because it was dark with the moon casting a solid glow through the open shades. Yoongi’s eyes traveled around the room. There was a wardrobe against the other wall and a few paintings and pictures hanging up. Yoongi glanced over to the opposite corner. There was a chair tucked into the corner with a soft lamp glowing next to it. In the chair was Jin.

Jin’s dark eyes burned into Yoongi, and his whole body broke out in chills. Whatever book Jin had been reading lay forgotten in his lap.

“You’re awake,” Jin stated plainly.

“Yes.” 

Jin opened his mouth to say something but then shut it. They stared at each other for a long time before he spoke again. “He hasn’t left your side,” Jin said with a nod towards Namjoon. “Jimin threatened to force him to sleep, but he refused to leave. He ended up locking Jiminie in the bathroom.”

Yoongi’s eyes strayed to the closed door he assumed led to the bathroom. “He’s not still in there, is he?”

The corner of Jin’s mouth quirked up. “No. He picked the lock and got himself out. Didn’t try to get Namjoon to leave your side again after that.”

Yoongi's hand cupped Namjoon’s head as a swell of love flowed through him. “He’ll never give up on me,” Yoongi said.

“I noticed that what with the bringing you back from the brink of death thing and all.”

Yoongi's hand dropped, and he winced at the pain it caused. “He did what now?”

“What do you remember?”

Yoongi thought back. “We were doing the bond breaking spell for Taehyung’s girlfriend and the blood bond she had with the other Taehyung.”

“You pushed it extra hard and opened yourself up. The magic literally bounced back and ripped through you. I thought...I thought you were dead,” Seokjin’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “You were so cold, Yoongi-ah, and you felt lifeless. I caught you in my arms, and I was just so scared. Namjoon showed up just as you collapsed and worked a spell with Jiminie to bring you back.” Seokjin’s eyes focused on Namjoon. “He was magnificent. Him and Jimin both.”

"I don't understand? How did he know to have a spell ready?” 

"Yeah, well," Seokjin said with a shrug.

"No, you don't get it. The only one who knew what might happen was Hoseok, and he was unable to tell Namjoon, or anyone, what he knew. Like if he tried to tell someone he'd find himself unable to speak."

Seokjin smiled faintly. "From what I understand, the silence vow held. But I think you underestimate the resolve of Hoseok and that of Namjoon. I believe that a frantic hours long charade game took place after which your secret was as good as spoken."

Yoongi closed his eyes. Of course Hoseok and Namjoon would find a way around the spell keeping Hoseok quiet without actually breaking it. Hoseok was amazing at keeping his word, if a little loose with the interpretation. And Namjoon was determined and smart. He felt a gentle dip in the bed next to him and opened his eyes to find Seokjin perched on the edge of the bed, near his hip.

"So is this why you kept me at arms length for years?"

Yoongi’s throat tightened at the sad cast to Seokjin’s eyes. He nodded slowly.

"Yah! I can't believe you!" Seokjin burst out yelling, his hand slapping the bed next to Yoongi. Namjoon snorted and let out a loud, rough snore before settling back to sleep. Seokjin continued in more of a whisper-yell, "How could you not tell me about what Hoseok saw? It was partly about me too!"

"I didn't see why you needed to know. I was taking care of it."

"By depriving yourself of my company?"

Yoongi’s reply sputtered and died on his lips as he processed Seokjin’s words. "Excuse me?"

Seokjin sniffed and picked invisible lint off his pants. "I'm excellent company-"

"I'm aware," Yoongi intoned dryly.

"You have a horrible habit of interrupting me when I'm speaking. If we're going to continue this relationship, then you're going to need to work on that particular bad habit."

"Who says we're in a relationship? Or continuing it? What the fuck happened while I was asleep?"

"Namjoon-ah! Tell Yoongi to stop being mean to me."

"Don't drag me into your lovers spat," Namjoon said in a gravelly voice as he stretched his body and let out a large yawn.

"We're not lovers," Yoongi denied.

Seokjin raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Because I have the bite marks all over my chest that suggest otherwise."

Yoongi’s cheeks pinkened at the reminder of the night before the spell. "That - that," he sputtered before turning to Namjoon "Joon-ah, help me here."

"Sorry man. I dragged your sorry ass back from the doors of death. I think I've done all the 'helping' I can do. This is all you."

"Namjoon-ah…," he whispered before trailing off.

"It's okay, hyung. I know. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to have a very serious discussion about life and death secret keeping when you feel better." The warm forgiving look in Namjoon’s eyes belied his stern words and enveloped Yoongi like the softest of blankets. "I'm going to go see if Jimin wants to grab some food. I'll see you later?" He smiled and patted Yoongi's hand at Yoongi’s affirmative nod. "Oh yeah, I believe this is yours.” Namjoon smiled gently and placed the shiny blue ring on the blankets by Yoongi’s hand. “I kept it safe for you, hyung. Just like I promised.”

Yoongi watched Namjoon exit the bedroom and close the door softly behind him. He swung his gaze back around to Seokjin who was still perched on the bed next to him and looking at Yoongi with some sort of expectant expression.

"What?"

"Don't grumble at me. We're not done yet."

"I almost died. Can't I get some peace and quiet?"

"Exactly. You almost died and...and-" Yoongi watched in horror as Seokjin’s eyes filled with tears and his face got red and blotchy. "You could have died and left me here alone and I never would have told you how much I love you, you stupid idiot."

"Wait...you love me?"

"Of course I love you! I don't know why. You're rude and disrespectful. You make fun of my place of business and my life. You keep horrible secrets and for one of the best spellcrafters you really stink at sharing your feelings. You keep it all bottled up inside."

"This is you loving me?" Yoongi muttered.

"But you're smart and loyal and you love your friends. You come across as this hard person but inside you're the softest, most caring person I've ever met. Your mouth is sinful and your body is gorgeous and you make me want to know more about how your mind works and what makes you happy. And I want to do that, you know, I want to make you happy."

Yoongi held his breath through Seokjin’s decidedly soggy rambling. "Come here," he said gruffly. Yoongi grabbed Seokjin’s hand, laced their fingers together, and pulled the other man forward until he was laying on the bed next to him. Seokjin’s head was tucked against Yoongi’s shoulder. Yoongi ran his hands through Seokjin’s hair softly.

"I've loved you probably since the very moment we met. You were the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. And then you opened your mouth and told the most terrible joke."

"Hey!"

"Don't interrupt me," Yoongi scolded lightly. "I love your bad jokes and your sense of adventure. I love your brilliance at harnessing magic and the power you command. I love your body and your laugh and I love how you love me. I want to make you happy too."

Seokjin brushed his thumb gently across Yoongi’s knuckles. "I told you we were in a relationship."

Yoongi smiled and placed a gentle kiss to Seokjin’s forehead. “Yeah,” he agreed. “We are.”


End file.
